Without Witness or Reward
by Lulu Pink
Summary: Theo would love to go back to his quiet, peaceful life, but there's just something strange about Luna Lovegood. Time-travel AU told from an outside POV. Starts in Theo's second year.


When the five minute mark passes, even the professors start to look worried—or maybe they were irritated, Theo's not sure. He wonders if this is the longest hat-stall in Hogwarts' history.

Fifteen minutes later, he's _positive_ that this is the longest hat-stall in history.

"The hat is probably having too hard a time sifting through the crazy," Malfoy jokes with a cruel smirk, earning snorts from the Slytherins close enough to hear. "I almost feel sorry for whatever house she ends up in."

As if on cue, there's a loud shout of "SLYTHERIN!"

Malfoy's eye twitches, and Theo barely restrains a laugh. Instead, he turns his attention to the small blonde making her way to their table. His eyebrows raise in surprise as she completely bypasses her fellow first years and forces her way into a seat beside Parkinson and Malfoy.

The table is silent now, staring at the bold little first year inserting herself with her upperclassman.

"Hullo," greets the girl, nodding politely. "I'm Luna Lovegood. Most people call me Loony, though."

Malfoy, always quick to bring attention onto himself, is the first to respond. "What a coincidence, I've been calling you that too."

"Yes, as does everyone else," she responds slowly, seemingly unaware that Malfoy could easily take her words as an insult to his intelligence.

From the scowl on his face, he had indeed taken it as an insult.

Theo huffs, deeming the conversation not worth his attention, and turns to the food that has just appeared before him, the sorting apparently over. He eats his meal leisurely, savoring the taste as his mind wanders.

"—hat-stall?"

Theo stills at the word, casting his focus back to his housemates now that the conversation has turned to something of interest.

"Oh, we discussed our favorite teas."

Theo blinks, turning fully to look at the first year, none of his housemates noticing how odd it was for him to be so "involved" due to the fact that they, too, were staring at the girl.

"...tea?"

"Yes, I quite favor a good dirigible plum tea. Unfortunately, the Hat tells me it is hard to choose a favorite when he has never tasted tea before. He _is_ a hat, you see."

Theo chokes on air, once again thankful that the odd blonde drew everyone's attention so that no one sees his brief lapse in composure. Well, no one save for said blonde, who has turned her unfocused gaze on him. Theo feels himself tense, a shiver running through him when her previously blank face hardens ever so slightly, her distaste evident.

_But what for?_ Theo muses, baffled. He's never met the Lovegood girl before (though his father had _plenty_ to say about her father, none of it kind), so what reason should she have to dislike him for?

The moment is gone, her intense gaze directed elsewhere, but Theo continues to stew in his confusion well into the night.

* * *

The girl isn't settling into their house very well. More than once Theo's seen the other first year girls lugging various items around whilst giggling maniacally, eventually followed by Lovegood searching the castle for, presumably, her missing things.

If Theo were a more courageous person, he might have used his seniority to stop the ridiculous bullying. But as he is possibly the least courageous person he has ever met (certainly not Gryffindor material, proven by his decidedly not red tie), he stays silent, watching the proceedings with little more than a roll of his eyes.

Besides, even if he were that courageous, why should he help the girl anyway? It's not like she'd want his help. After all, she was the one who took one look at him and decided he was worth even less than the dirt on her shoes. She was the one who hated him on sight for no reason whatsoever that he could discern.

_Yes_, Theo realizes just how bitter he sounds. _No_, he will not stop being bitter.

_It just doesn't make any sense!_ He thinks angrily, stabbing his fork through whatever food he'd absently shoved onto his plate.

There was no reason for her, or anyone really, to hate him as intensely as the Lovegood girl did. He just didn't have the presence. No one even knew him, just the way he liked it. He could sit right beside someone for hours and they wouldn't even know it unless he spoke—sometimes not even then.

Lovegood noticed him when he didn't want to be noticed, and immediately hated him. He just doesn't understand—

Theo inhales deeply through his nose, calming himself down. He needed to stop obsessing over the feelings of some first year nobody.

Unbidden, his eyes swept down the table, finding Lovegood near the middle, having once again seated herself beside Malfoy. Theo bristled, his eyes narrowing.

So she'll associate with _Malfoy_, His Royal Prat-ness, the biggest prat in Prattington to ever prat, and yet _Theo_ is the one deserving of her ire?

Scoffing derisively, Theo tells himself that he needs to move on from the issue, as clearly Loony is not just a silly nickname, but an entirely too accurate title. Therefore, Loony is not worthy of any more of his time. With a firm nod, Theo aspires to ignore the girl from then on.

* * *

Peeking around the corner, Theo curses his luck.

And he had been doing so well, too. Only a month left until the school year ended, and he had been ignoring the girl splendidly before today.

It's just too bad three third year Slytherins decided to pick a fight with her in the hall he needed to take to get to his next class.

Guilt builds in the pit of his stomach as he watches. He's too far to hear what is being said, but not too far to see the light of a spell slash through her robes, or the way she stumbles backwards when one of the bullies knocks her books to the ground. A part of him wants to help, but the rest of him knows that he won't. He's a coward, that's something about himself that he'd learned and accepted a long time ago. Besides, it's not like he can _do_ anything. They were thirds years, and he's only a second year.

_And **she's** just a first year,_ his conscience reminds him, much to his frustration.

Shamefully, he remains hidden until the third years leave. He waits, hoping she will hurry to pick her things up so that he can finally go to class, with no one ever knowing he was there. Instead, as if sensing his immense guilt and wanting him to face the consequences of his inaction, the blonde simply stands there staring at her fallen books. As the seconds pass by, she seems to hunch into herself, and Theo finally gives in to his guilt.

He approaches her cautiously, noticing how she stays frozen, apparently ignorant to his presence.

"Are you okay?" He asks awkwardly, keeping a safe distance away in case she starts to cry.

Lovegood looks up, meeting his uneasy gaze with a blank one of her own. He sees the recognition flit across her face when she registers who he is, followed by what he thinks might be genuine surprise. Holding her gaze, he slowly kneels down, gathering her books together. When he stands again, extending her books to her, the surprise is still there.

He sort of understands why she's so surprised by his actions—he's never been one to go out of his way to insert himself into someone else's drama. While picking up her books hardly constitutes as "inserting himself into drama," it's still more than he's ever done before. He'd be pretty shocked too, if he didn't already know why he decided to help: her glares. She judged him unfairly, without even knowing him, and he kind of wants to prove her wrong.

Admittedly, she's not _completely_ wrong about him. He _was_ just watching her get bullied literally a minute ago with absolutely _no_ intention of helping her, but it's not like _she_ knew that.

"Thank you," she says, finally, her expression softer than he's ever seen on her. Theo's brain seems to stall at the sight, and he hopes his face hasn't gone red.

"W-what happened here, anyway?" Theo asks despite knowing exactly what happened, gamely ignoring his own stutter.

"A misunderstanding," she replies simply, nothing in her face giving anything away.

"You're books were on the floor and your robe sleeve is torn. I'm not stupid, Lovegood, I know what bullying looks like."

"If you know then why did you ask?"

Well, she's got him there. It's not like he can say he was so shocked by her being marginally nicer to him than usual that he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"To see if you would admit it," he fibs instead, trying to avoid averting his eyes, lest he look suspicious.

She says nothing, still looking at him with that same unnerving stare—eyes wide and unfocused, eyebrows raised in perpetual surprise. Actually, the longer he looks at her, the more uncomfortable he begins to feel. Her gaze is beginning to look less _unfocused_, and more focused on something he simply can't comprehend. Like she can see every facet of his being spelled out before her in unknowable colors—

Okay, now he's just scaring himself.

"You shouldn't just let them bully you," Theo says suddenly, trying to distract himself from his odd train of thought. "I mean, don't tell any of the professors, that's against Slytherin protocol, but no one will judge you if you dole out some well-deserved revenge on those three. It's practically _expected_ of you at this point."

Lovegood is silent for a long time, and Theo almost physically flinches when the hard look he remembers finds its way back onto her face. The change is abrupt and, compared to the almost kind look she'd given him only a moment ago, extreme.

"Three," and though it's said softly, almost inaudible, Theo can't help but feel like she's shouting.

"What?"

"I never said that there were three of them," Lovegood elaborates, and he freezes in understanding.

The only way he could know that three people were bullying her is if he watched it happen.

Which he did. Watched it happen and did nothing. Claimed to _see_ nothing, even.

"You never change," for the first time, there's real _venom_ in her voice, and this time Theo does flinch. She turns where she stands, shoulders tense as she glides off, presumably to class.

He's going to be late to his own class, he notes distantly, but makes no move to leave as he watches her retreating form.

_"You **never** change," _echoes in his head.

What is that even supposed to _mean_?

* * *

**AN: as you can see if you've read my atla story, I like writing introspective bitter children being introspective and bitter, lol. They're hilarious. **

**This is a time travel fic, but told from the point of view of someone else. There is a reason Luna hates Theo (nothing unforgivable like murder or something), but I'll get into that later.**

**I plan to finish this in about six chapters—one for each school year that Theo and Luna share. **

**I also totally ripped off the title from a Doctor Who episode. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **


End file.
